


Opaque

by BarkingSky



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:35:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarkingSky/pseuds/BarkingSky
Summary: o·paque/ōˈpāk/adjectivenot able to be seen through; not transparent.~idk why i added a summary like the only ppl i expect to read this r my friends since i just wanted to publish for better formatting but screw it here we are
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. Early August 2018

She stared down at the list of names she’d collected from Facebook, having filtered through the scammers and creeps with underlying intentions that were far from pure. Despite this, she was still left with a pit of uncertainty in her stomach. Opal sighed as she threw her head in her hands, “It’d be a lot easier if you guys could be my roommates.” 

Leo laughed quietly as he lightly patted her back, “It might be, but you’re not one to take the easy route.”

The blonde groaned, “Don’t give me semi-inspirational metaphors like that.” 

“What about this girl? Justine Drew?” Luna asked as she leaned over Opal’s shoulder, glancing at the Facebook page on her laptop screen.

Opal just shook her head in disappointment, “Probably a scammer, grainy profile picture with five friends.”

She could feel her friends giving her a sympathetic stare as they attempted to cheer her up, but she wasn’t sure it’d work as she thought about the roommate interviews she’d be needing to do over the next week or two. 

~

Her first interview planned was with a man named “Ryder Budescu”, a fellow university freshman. He was the first of six interviews planned for that week at Dullum’s, a local coffee shop mostly commonly tended to by the “heir”, Sigve Dullum. He was a blonde man only a few years her senior, adorned with a cocky grin and a pair of thick rimmed glasses. 

_ “God morgen!” _ He exclaimed cheerfully from behind the counter. 

_ “Morgen!” _ She replied happily as she approached the register.

Sigve was a second generation Norwegian-American training to become the next owner of  _ Dullum’s  _ after his father passes on the business to him. He’d brought a sense of familiarity with him, so Opal was more than happy to bring the shop into her routine. 

“How’s the roommate hunt going?” He asked as he leaned up against the counter. 

“Pretty alright” She said with faltering confidence, “I’ve actually got my first interview with someone in 15 minutes, then five more throughout the week.”

The man looked rather surprised at first, but then shot her a smirk. “Guess I’ll play backup just in case you interview a few creeps” He joked, Opal giving the man an uncomfortable smile in return as the nerves began to grow at the pit of her stomach.

“Hope it’s not the case” She replied quietly. 

She ordered her signature drink, a chocolate mocha with a few pumps of strawberry topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Sigve insisted on giving her a discount, but Opal simply insisted to pay in full in return. She’d chosen a table near the door, hoping to quickly capture the attention of the first of the potential tenants. However, as she checked the time on her phone, she quickly realized the man was ten minutes late. 

Not exactly a good first impression. 

Just as she considered messaging Ryder and asking about his whereabouts, a man suddenly burst through the double doors, clearly exasperated. The entire shop simply turned to stare at the brunette man, whose heavy panting quickly turned to a grin as his eyes met with the blonde girl. 

She stood up with a smile, “You must be Ryder.” 

The man just stood in the middle of the doorway with the same grin, Opal raising an eyebrow before he seemed to realize what he was doing. He approached her as the blonde reached out a hand. “Pleasure to meet you” She said kindly, the man straightening his posture as he shook her hand.

Her first thought that there was something certainly odd about him, but he seemed nice enough.

She sat down, pulling a small notebook out of her purse along with a pen. “How’s your morning been?” She asked casually, taking a sip from her coffee that was beginning to teeter on lukewarm.

“Well, woke up late but I got here eventually” He said with a smirk. Opal smiled in return as she stayed quiet, flipping through her notebook for a few seconds before looking back up at the man.

“I've got a small list of questions that I’ll be asking you” She explained, “Just answer as honestly as possible, does that work for you?” 

He nodded with that same grin as before, Opal wasn’t sure if she was charmed or off-put by him. It was likely a mixture of both as she could feel the butterflies in her stomach begin to flutter.

“Alright, what are your cleaning habits like?” 

“I mean...I’m not  _ messy _ if that’s what you’re asking” He said along with a light laugh.

While not quite the answer she was looking for, at least he wasn’t a slob. 

“Do you have any issues with pets?”

“Nope”

“Do you smoke?”

“Sometimes”

“Inside the house?”

“Uhh, no” 

“What’s your current means of income?”

“...Self-employment”

He was definitely a drug dealer, almost no doubt about it. However, he did seem nice enough. She just wondered if highly illegal activities could be made up for with general decency. She stared down at the list of traits she’d been writing down as she went along, 

_ Sociable _

_ Definitely a drug dealer _

_ Smokes...something _

_ Late schedule _

“Do you cook?”

“Yep, and I’m pretty good at it if I do say so myself” He casually gloated with a grin, Opal taking out her pen yet again.

_ Good cook _

She flipped the page back to her list of questions, “Alright, this is a rather awkward question.” Ryder raised an eyebrow in return as Opal let out a sigh.

“I’m required to ask about any significant others, as sometimes a significant other ends up being another roommate who doesn’t pay rent or contribute to the household, so what’s your current relationship status?” She asked before flipping the page back and grabbing her pen. 

“Don’t have to worry about that, single” He replied, a flirty tone to his voice. Opal was a bit taken aback but wrote down his answer in response anyways. She only had a few more questions to go, and she could only hope future interviews would go about the same or better.

~

To say the next few interviews had gone poorly was an understatement. She’d even dismissed two of them almost immediately, but now she had to focus on the final two interviews and hope they produced credible potential roommates. Today her second to last interview was with a sophomore named Asher Frederiksen, who seemed credible enough despite having little information about himself on Facebook. 

Opal had arrived at  _ Dullum’s _ about ten minutes early, immediately heading to the register as Sigve greeted her with a smile as he had the previous days before. “How many more interviews?” The blonde man asked as he began making her regular drink before she’d mentioned anything.

“On the last two, hopefully they both go well” She said with a sigh. 

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, whatever happens” He reassured with a lopsided grin, but for some reason it didn’t seem to make her feel any better. 

She grabbed her phone from her purse and glanced down at the time. There was about five minutes left before her second to last meeting with a potential roommate. She could only hope the man was more punctual than his predecessors that week. She certainly wasn’t going to sit around and wait for twenty minutes again. 

After a few minutes spent scrolling through her phone as she sat at the table closest to the door yet again, the doors to the cafe swung open. She glanced towards the entrance, eyes meeting with a lanky figure. He clearly hadn’t cared to put a brush through his deep brunette hair before their meeting, and she only grew more hesitant as his jaded green eyes, heavily accented with dark circles, met with hers. 

She felt a rush of intimidation wash over her, as she teetered between the line of concerned and terrified. However, she remembered what Leo had said, she wasn’t one to shy away from a challenge.

She stood up from her chair, a smile on her face as the brunette approached. “I’m assuming you’re Asher” Opal said kindly, starting to feel like these introductions were beginning to become routine.

The man just nodded silently, Opal’s smile becoming awkward as the man didn’t follow up any further. She’d sat down at the table instead, the man following behind as she pulled out her notebook and pencil.

“So I’m just gonna ask you some questions-“

“As is with an interview…” The man muttered in return, Opal taken aback by the man’s response.

_ So he’s got an attitude, lovely. _

She furrowed her brow and continued on, flipping the page to the questions, making a mental note to write down  _ “attitude.”  _

“What are your cleaning habits like?” She asked, preparing her pencil.

“Neatish”

“Do you smoke?”

“Depends”

She wasn’t quite sure what that was meant but continued on, “Do you have any issues with pets?”

“No” 

“What’s your current means of income?”

“Part time job”

“Do you cook?”

“Not really”

Opal had already begun to write down a few notes as well as personality traits that she had noticed throughout the rather wordless conversation with the other man. She flipped the page once again and stared down at what she had written.

_ Not much of a talker _

_ Attitude _

_ Intimidating _

_ Incredibly sleep deprived _

_ Or on drugs _

_ Or both _

She sighed as she reached the dating question, as she’d definitely got some raised eyebrows from previous candidates when it came to this. However, she straightened her posture and looked up at the man. “So, this is a rather uncomfortable question but I do have to ask about any relationships because-“

“No” The man cut her off, Opal pursing her lips as she nodded. 

She was definitely beginning to grow annoyed with the dark haired man, but all she could hope was that the rest of the interview went better.

~

One final interview, there was only one left before Opal would be forced to make a major decision that she could very well regret soon after. The rest of the interview with Asher went as smoothly as it could, but she was still apprehensive about the man. His attitude and tendency to interrupt wasn’t exactly helping his case either.

Nevertheless, she needed to focus on her final interview. She was a girl named Vivienne Eklund, she seemed trustworthy enough with a legitimate Facebook profile with plenty of friends and family members. 

Opal pushed open the glass door to the café, and was surprised to be greeted to a brunette girl who quickly glanced towards her and stood up. Opal was surprised as the girl rushed over to her with a smile. 

This must be Vivienne.

“Am I late or are you early?” Opal asked apologetically, looking down to scramble for her phone in her purse. 

Vivienne quickly shook her head, “No, no! I’m just early, sorry!” 

That was certainly different, all of the potential roommates before had either been late or punctual. However, Opal certainly appreciated as she reached out a hand to shake.

“I’m Opal”

“Vivienne Eklund!” The girl replied happily, taking her hand and shaking it. 

The blonde sat down, pulling out her notebook for the final time, filled with notes from the previous interviewees. She was beginning to run out of room, so she was hoping she wouldn’t need to look for anymore roommates. 

“So I’m just going to ask you a few questions and write down some notes, sound good?” She asked, Vivienne nervously nodding in return. Opal grinned, “Good! Okay, first off, any issues with pets?”

“Nope, I love animals...I was going to ask, if it’s okay, I have a pet turtle and I just wanted to make sure that’d be okay with you…” She asked shyly, Opal surprised at her response.

Of course she had no issue with it, as long as Vivienne took care of it herself. But Vivienne had been the first person to ever ask a question or raise concerns in return, which Opal appreciated.

“That’s alright with me” She replied with a smile. Opal glanced down at the notebook once again, “And what’s your current means of income?”

“I have a part time job as an aquarium tour guide” 

“Really? That’s awesome, I love seals!” She commented, “Especially harbor seals, they remind me of home.” 

“You’re from Norway right? Where from? I’m from Sweden!”

Opal gasped in surprise, “Really? Why didn’t I figure that? Especially after scrolling through your Facebook profile” Opal said, “I’m from Tromsø, very up there.”

The interview ended up turning into more of a casual conversation, and Opal was happy to know she had at least one roommate locked in. 

Perhaps, it wasn’t going to be all bad.

~ 

“Kaleb?”

“Way too old not gonna lie, cross him out.”

“Hannah?”

“Long term boyfriend who couch surfs, definitely not.” 

Opal groaned as she realized she was only left with four names, not including Vivienne who she’d offered a spot to almost immediately. Leo glanced over the notebook, flipping the page. “What about Ryder? I’m surprised you’ve even kept him” Leo mused, as he circled “drug dealer” on his list.

“Honestly at this point, I’m willing to overlook that” She commented, “Actually, you know what, put a check mark by his name.” 

“Really?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow, “You’d think “drug dealer” was an immediate  _ no.”  _

Opal sighed, “Well he’s hot and knows how to cook, I also don’t have very many options.”

“Yeah but you’re looking for a  _ roommate _ , not a boyfriend” Luna quipped back, Leo snorting along.

“Believe me I know” Opal replied with a groan, throwing her head in her hands as she gripped onto her blonde hair. “He’s nice, just put the damn checkmark!” She added, Leo shrugging as he added the check by Ryder’s name.

_ One down, just one more to go.  _

She mused over the remaining names, unsure of where to go from that point on. 

“What about Asher?” Luna asked, “He’s another college student right?” 

“Yeah but he’s got kind of an attitude” She commented, “And he scares me.”

Leo perked up and shot his glance towards the two girls, “Wait, Asher who?” 

Opal raised an eyebrow, “Frederiksen, why?” 

“I know him!” He exclaimed happily, Opal beginning to brighten up. “Well, I know  _ of  _ him,” He added, Opal’s smile beginning to fall again. 

“What do you know?” She asked, hoping for some good news. 

“Well I don’t know much but I do know he’s really smart, doesn’t talk much, and apparently has kind of a drug problem but honestly that’s pretty obvious just from looking at him” Leo replied, “Not sure what but I’d guess...I don’t know, pills? coke?” 

She figured just as much, he had almost no color in his face and dark circles beyond any she’d seen before. Opal wasn’t one who’d normally negotiate with drug use, but pills or coke was certainly better than something like meth. Not that she figured he was on meth, his teeth were far too normal for such. 

“So would that be a no?” Luna asked, Opal drumming her fingers against her chin as she thought. It was reassuring that Leo at least knew of him, and didn’t have  _ too  _ much negative to say outside of the rather obvious drug problem. She was just worried if his attitude would grow too much to handle in a living situation. 

However, she felt safer with Leo’s mutual acquaintanceship to the man.

“So I suppose I’ll go with Asher”

~

“So two weeks from Tuesday work for you?” She asked happily, holding the phone up to her ear as she sat cozily on the couch.

“No problem” Ryder replied happily, voice accented with the noise from the phone lines.

“Great! I’ll see you then!” She exclaimed cheerfully, the pair bidding a goodbye before hanging up. Things seemed to be going smoothly so far, a move in date was pretty much set and she had plenty of time to prepare before ensuing classes the week after. 

There was just one more obstacle that stood in the way.

She stared down at Asher’s contact information, her thumb hovering over the man’s phone number. Opal wasn’t sure why this was so difficult, after all,  _ she  _ was the one who held the cards, not him. It’s not like she’d have to hold an entire conversation with him either. Just confirm that he’s her new roommate, ask if the move-in day works and then proceed to hang up. 

_ Just press the damn number you baby!  _

She hesitated at first, but was quickly startled by her dog Tulip suddenly jumping on the couch, leading for her thumb to slip on his phone number. “Tulip! Fuck!” She whispered under her breath as she put her phone up to her ear, listening as the phone rang over the line.

It continued to ring, Opal wondering if she would rather him pick up to get it over with or for him to not so she had more time to prepare. 

_ Damn you, Tulip. _

As the phone continued to ring, she wondered if she would be forced with the latter option. However, as it reached the last ring, there was suddenly the voice of the man on the other side.

“Hello?” He said, a groggy tone to his voice. He must’ve just woken up, Opal was cringing in embarrassment at the thought of having woken him up even though it was a quarter past three. 

“Hey! Uh, hi!” She said nervously, “It’s Opal, Stjerne! You know-“

“You know I have your name in my phone, right?”

_ “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”  _ She thought to herself,  _ “Can I fuck this up anymore?” _

“Right! Yeah…” She added hesitantly, nervously gripping onto the edge of the couch pillow, “I was just wondering if…”

“Hm?”

_ “Just fucking saying it!”  _ She screamed at herself internally, feeling the panic begin to rise as her chest tightened.

“Do you uh…” She started before clearing her throat, “Do you have a minute to talk?”

She wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into, especially if a simple confirmation phone call was this difficult. However, she could only hope that things would eventually ease up with time, maybe she was just being anxious and judgemental? Perhaps that was the case, but either way, hopefully things were smooth sailing from then on out. 


	2. Chapter 2

She’d woken up late that morning, quickly panicking as she realized there was only an hour before Asher, Ryder, Vivienne, Leo, and Luna were supposed to arrive. She’d immediately grabbed her phone and opened her group chat with the former three.

sorry i didn't message u guys earlier!! i overslept a bit  
is 2 pm still good?  
Vivienne  
yup! just getting finished getting everything together  
Ryder  
everything's good here, excited lol  
Asher  
same  
Alrightie! My friends Leo and Luna are gonna come by as well and just help arrange everything  
if that's okay with you guys of course  
Ryder  
definitely  
Vivienne  
good with me   
Asher  
yep  
Awesome! See you guys soon!

She’d put her phone down on her bedside table, stretching as she swung her legs out of bed. Tulip got up from her own bed as well, approaching the blonde girl and wagging her tail happily. “Good morning, _Tulipan!”_ She cooed, patting the shepherd’s head. Opal stood up from her bed, walking over to her dresser and opening the top drawer.

She pulled out one of the t-shirts on top of the pile before closing the top drawer and grabbing a pair of shorts from the bottom. She had twenty minutes before her new roommates would arrive, so she quickly rushed out of her pajamas and into her outfit before grabbing a hair tie to throw her hair into a ponytail. 

Just as she was finished getting ready, her phone buzzed.

una luna ❤️  
  
hey we're on our way, you ready?  
  
yep yep  
  
see u guys soon  
  
❤️❤️❤️  
  


She threw on a pair of sandals before heading downstairs, Tulip following behind. Opal had cleaned the apartment the night before, hoping to make everything as presentable as possible to her new roommates. She knew there wasn’t too much to worry about, as the place had already been pretty clean but her perfectionism demanded better. 

Shortly after, she could hear her front door open. “We’re here!” A voice boomed happily, it was Leo and Luna. 

“And we brought bagels,” Luna replied, lifting up a paper bag as Opal rushed over to hug her.

“You’re a goddess and I love you” Opal replied with a sigh, Luna smirking as she lightly patted her back.

Leo dramatically groaned, “And I’m just chopped liver.”

“Hi Leo” Opal responded with a laugh, Luna placing the bag on the coffee table. She immediately rushed over to the couch, sitting down as she pulled three bagels out of the bag. 

“Yours was the one on top” Luna claimed as she fell back on the couch beside the blonde. Leo joined the pair as he grabbed his as well.

“Is everyone still coming at two?” He asked, unwrapping his bagel before taking a bite of one half. Luna grabbed the napkins out of the bag, handing one to Leo who grinned in return, cinnamon butter on the corners of his mouth before wiping them away.

“Yep, it should be about thirty minutes now!” She replied cheerfully. 

“How are you feeling?” Luna asked, grabbing her bagel as well as Opal’s before handing it to the blonde.

“You know, I thought I’d be way more nervous but I’m actually really excited, I was getting kind of terrified of being alone here” She mentioned, “You know I keep a knife in my bedside drawer.” 

Leo looked surprised, but Luna just cackled in response. “You’re the last person I ever expected to be knife trained, is it like a kitchen knife or something else?” She asked, taking a bite of her bagel.

“Folding knife, Noah bought it for me right before I moved in” She answered. 

“How thoughtful” Leo joked.

The pair spent the next fifteen minutes eating their food and teasing one another, Opal only growing more and more anxiously excited as time went on. It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door, Opal surprised as there was ten minutes left before 2 o’clock, but she stood up and approached the door anyways.

As she opened it, she saw the brunette woman holding a small cardboard box in her hand as well as a nervous smile. Opal perked up at the sight of Vivienne, “Hey!” The blonde moved out of the way for the girl, Vivienne moving past her.

“Hi” She said sheepishly, the brunette turning towards her. “I have more in my car by the way” She mentioned, Leo rushing over to take the box from her hands.

“Since you’re here first, you get the first choice of room” Opal said happily, “Any preference?”

“Oh!” Vivienne said in surprise, “I don’t really mind but…” She trailed off shyly, “Which one of the rooms has the most sunlight? I have plants but it's okay if not though!”

Opal grinned, “The one by my room definitely gets a lot of sunlight, it’s a bit smaller than the other two if that’s alright with you?”

Vivienne quickly nodded, “That’s perfect!” 

“Great! Leo will go get your stuff and I’ll show you the room” Opal replied, glancing over to Leo who placed the current box he held on the ground before sighing.

“Of course Opal, I will go get Vivienne’s stuff, thanks for asking” He said sarcastically, Luna nudging his shoulder.

“Don’t be rude” She replied, Leo just groaning as he walked outside.

Opal smiled, “Follow me!”

The pair walked up the two flights of stairs, Opal leading Vivienne towards the door adjacent to her own. “Like I said, it’s a bit smaller but the light is great!” She insisted happily, turning the knob and opening the door. Opal moved out of the way for Vivienne, who apprehensively entered first. 

“I really like it!” She said happily, moving towards the windows. “I can see Benny enjoying it…” She trailed off before looking back towards the blonde, “That’s my turtle, by the way.” 

Opal grinned happily, “That’s adorable!” 

Just as Vivienne was about to reply, she heard a pair of footsteps trek up the stairs. Opal glanced over to see Luna with a smirk, “We’ve got another one.” The blonde raised an eyebrow before realizing she’d meant another roommate had arrived.

“Oh! Who is it?” Opal asked excitedly.

“Ryder” Luna replied, “Leo’s helping him get his stuff out of the car, Vivienne’s stuff is downstairs so I’ll help bring that up.” 

Opal nodded and turned back to Vivienne, “I’ll be back up after I talk to Ryder!”

The blonde exited the room, heading down the two flights of stairs before reaching the living room, coming face to face with the brunette man who greeted her with a grin. She smiled in return, “Hey!” 

“Didn’t wanna be late again, so I figured I’d be early this time” Ryder claimed, a box in hand as Luna moved past the pair to get up the stairs with some of Vivienne’s stuff.

“That’s great!” She exclaimed, “Vivienne just chose the first bedroom on the top floor, but we have the other two just up here.” 

He nodded along as she led him up the stairs. “There’s not much of a size difference” She explained, “But the room closest to the front of the house gets more sun compared to the other if that matters to you.” 

She allowed him a few moments to gaze upon the two rooms, the man’s decision coming rather quickly. “The one on the left works” He explained, pointing towards the door adjacent to the front facing window. 

Opal grinned happily, “Great! So that leaves the room next to yours for Asher.”

The brunette man looked slightly uncomfortable by her proclamation, but appeared to smile through it as he made his way back downstairs to retrieve his things. The blonde had followed, helping both Vivienne and Ryder move their stuff, Opal making note to be extra careful with Benny’s enclosure. It wasn’t until 2 PM on the dot that the final roommate had arrived, Opal spotting him parking his car from the glass of the front door. 

Opal found herself growing nervous once again, but also frustrated at herself for this unfounded fear. Opal did suffer from anxiety, but talking to people had never been an issue. Perhaps it was the feeling that the man was constantly judging every word she said? Or the way he simply responded to her in three words or less most of the time.

Or maybe it was the fact he stood a foot taller than her and never seemed to smile too much. 

Either way, there was no time for her to ponder on it. All she had to do was greet him and show him where his room was. That was it. It wasn’t difficult. 

She turned the doorknob and stepped out, smiling as she waved out at the dark haired man, who half-heartedly waved in return. She quickly headed down the small flight of concrete stairs, Asher pursing his lips into the most of a smile he could muster up. “Hi!” She greeted as she approached him by his car. 

“Hey” He replied quietly, dreary green eyes glancing down at her. She could feel that same wave of intimidation wash over her, a similar feeling to their first meeting and the ensuing phone call.

“Vivienne and Ryder already claimed their rooms, but if that’s an issue-“

“It’s fine” He interrupted, moving to grab a bag from the front seat of his car. 

Opal went quiet as she waited for the man, shifting back and forth on her heels before the man turned to look back at her. “First I wanted to show you to your room” She mentioned, “Then maybe now that you’re here we can get everyone a little bit more acquainted...do you know Vivienne and Ryder already?” She felt herself begin to ramble, “I mean...outside of text messages.”

She was surprised to see Asher looking down as he held back a hint of laughter, before looking back at her. “A bit” He replied, Opal raising an eyebrow but accepting his answer and turning back on her heel towards the door. 

“I have four sets of keys for everyone and then myself, usually I’d keep a set by the house but pa told me that’s not particularly safe in America?” Opal prattled on, Asher quietly walking along behind her, which only worsened Opal’s nerves. The pair walked up the stairs, Opal opening the door with Asher following her as they filed into the living room. 

She saw Ryder come down the stairs, greeting him with a smile as he returned the favor. However, he stopped dead in his tracks as he glanced at the man behind her. She subconsciously moved out of the way as the two men simply stared at one another, Asher simply nodding and Ryder moving out of their way.

That was certainly odd, but she figured she wouldn’t think too much of it.

Men _were_ weird after all. 

She led Asher up the first flight of stairs, walking towards the door furthest to the right. “It’s the same size as Ryder’s room, just a bit darker since his room has the front windows” She explained, turning the knob as she swung it open to reveal the room, mostly empty minus some essential furniture. 

“Not an issue” He muttered, Opal smiling and nodding.

“Alright, I gotta tidy up a bit but just uh… let me know if you need anything!”

“Got it” 

She awkwardly shuffled out of the man’s new room, walking back downstairs. 

~

Opal had spent most of the time helping her new roommates get situated, helping bring in boxes but also tidying up around the house. Leo and Luna were also a big help as well, Opal eventually insisting they take a break. 

“You got anything to drink?” Leo asked as he sat down on one of the barstools by the counter, Luna joining him. 

“I made some pink lemonade yesterday!” Opal replied cheerfully, “You guys want some?”

Luna let out an exasperated sigh and nodded, “God yes, it’s hot as balls in here.”

Opal grabbed the glass pitcher from the fridge, placing it on the counter before reaching over towards the cabinets to grab two glasses, grabbing one for herself after placing the two on the counter. Suddenly, Ryder turned the corner with a smirk, “Hanging out without me?” 

Luna turned her head towards the man, “You know there’s a thing called asking.”

Ryder went quiet as he stared wide eyed at the brunette girl, who burst out into laughter. “I’m just fucking with you dude” Luna replied, Ryder awkwardly laughing along as he approached the three in the kitchen. 

“Lemonade?” Opal asked sweetly, preparing to grab another glass from the cabinet as she looked over her shoulder. Ryder nodded happily as he leaned up against the island counter.

As Opal began to pour the lemonade into the cups, she heard a pair of footsteps patter lightly down the stairs. She was happy to see Vivienne turn to glance towards the kitchen with a smile. “Hi Viv!” Opal greeted, “Want some lemonade? I guess we’re taking a bit of a break.” 

“Oh!” Vivienne replied, “Sure!” 

Opal happily pulled another glass out of the cabinet, pouring the final cup before handing it to Vivienne. “Thanks!” Vivienne replied before taking a sip, “I should be almost completely moved in.” 

Ryder nodded, “Same, not gonna lie though it’s hot as fuck in here though.”

“I know, _right?!”_ Luna replied, “Christ alive, it’s like 90 degrees out.”

Opal sighed, “I know, I’m sorry! I called the A/C guys and they should be here on Monday though, how about we sit outside in the back for now? It’s shady so it’s not as bad.”

Vivienne nodded happily, “Sounds good!” 

“Alright just give me a second, Leo, Luna, can you help bring some stuff out?” Opal asked, the pair nodding as Vivienne and Ryder exited through the glass door.

“Any idea where Asher is?” Leo asked, grabbing the pitcher. Opal shook her head in response, both of them looking at Luna who shrugged as well. 

“Don’t ask me, I’ve seen him like once since I got here” Luna replied, “Why don’t you invite him outside?”

Opal bit her lip as she awkwardly laughed, “I mean yeah..I should!” Opal quickly turned towards Leo, “Leo! Why don’t you ask him? You guys know each other!” 

Leo quickly shook his head, “I said I knew _of_ him! You’re the landlord, you ask him!”

Opal couldn’t help but stifle laughter, “What are you, _scared?”_

“You’re scared too!” Leo quickly retorted, Luna simply watching the two bicker.

“Yeah, he’s a foot taller than me and _you’re_ a football player!” Opal shot back, Luna rolling her eyes with a groan.

“Both of you are babies, _I’ll_ go ask him” Luna stated before walking off and up the stairs.

Leo and Opal just stared at each other in embarrassment, grabbing the pitcher and their pair of glasses before heading outside.

~ 

They’d been outside for a few minutes, aimlessly chatting before realizing Luna hadn’t returned yet, with or without Asher. She knew she was growing concerned, but didn’t want to intrude or seem overly anxious by looking for Luna. However, as if on cue, the brunette girl opened the sliding door and exited. 

Opal assumed Asher had declined, but was surprised to see the taller man trailing behind her. Leo quickly grinned and waved at the man, Opal leaning over to whisper, “Not so scared now?” Leo quickly nudged her shoulder, keeping his grin as Asher awkwardly waved in return. Luna returned to take a spot at the patio table next to Opal and Leo, Asher sitting next to Vivienne across the table. 

“Haven’t seen you in a while, not since…” Leo tapped his chin as he thought, “Maybe not since that frat party in March?” 

“Yep” Asher replied quietly, taking a sip from a glass of lemonade. 

“What classes do you have this year?” Leo asked, “Still into medical stuff?” 

Opal raised an eyebrow, as she was certainly interested in “medical stuff” as well. 

“Yep, infectious disease” Asher mentioned, “Just taking the basics like chem and biology, then anatomy and math.” 

Surprisingly enough, Asher and Leo continued to talk about their schedules. While she was certainly going to accuse Leo of knowing Asher more than she let on, her thoughts moved to a more pressing matter. 

Where exactly was that accent from?

The more he talked, the less American he sounded. She wasn’t sure why it had suddenly appeared now, as he certainly didn’t seem to have much of an accent the previous few times she’d spoken to him. 

It was familiar in a sense however, almost like her father’s accent but more monotone. It couldn’t have been Norwegian, certainly not. As time had gone on however, she was beginning to have a sneaking suspicion. 

The only way to figure this out for certain was to test him. She’d have to say something in Norwegian, but how? Perhaps she’d pretend Noah was texting or her, or maybe spill something on herself and curse?

No, the latter was too much effort, she’d have to do the former. 

If he looked at her strangely, he was Danish, If he looked at her surprised, he was Norwegian. If he looked at her….

_There’s no way he’s Swedish._

As the two older men chatted on, Opal pulled out her phone, opening Noah’s text messages.

noe  
  
text me  
  
what?  
  
just text me something random again  
  
um, alright?  
  


Opal sighed, muttering under her breath, “Noah, _jeg er opptatt akkurat nå.”_

She’d caught the attention of the dark haired man, who simply glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow. So he was Nordic, but it didn’t really narrow anything down. She’d have to keep trying,

“Ah sorry…” She apologized, “It’s Norwegian.” 

Leo gasped, “Oh yeah! You’re Danish, aren’t you? Those are like, right next to each other, yeah?”

Luna rolled her eyes, nudging Leo’s shoulder, “Aren’t you European? Shouldn’t you know that?” 

“I’m from Luxembourg, I never claimed to know which Nordic country was which!” Leo exclaimed, Luna laughing in response.

“Separated by a strait named _Skagerrak_ , but yes” Asher responded. 

God, the way he pronounced that was like nails on a chalkboard. Or rather, like an intoxicated man attempting to speak Norwegian. Vivienne had given her a look, the brunette girl attempting to hold back a smile. Opal had known immediately what she was trying to say, and had to attempt to hold back a giggle herself. 

The table moved on from the subject, continuing to chatter about future classes. No one really discussed their schedules however, she wondered if they shared any classes. 

She’d have to ask later.

~ 

“So you _do_ know Asher” Opal pointed out, blankly flipping through another page in her textbook as she sat on the floor of Leo’s dorm room, Luna sitting next to her as Leo sat on his bed. 

“One drunk conversation doesn’t equal knowing someone” Leo replied, “It was _months_ ago!” 

Luna rolled her eyes, “Whatever, can we just talk about the fact Ryder and Asher look _eerily_ similar.” 

Opal quickly shook her head, “I don’t see it, Asher has a sharper nose.”

“The jawline and facial structure are identical” Luna pointed out, “Ryder just looks less completely sleep deprived.”

Leo leaned back onto the wall, “You know they’re brothers, right?” 

“What?!”

Leo snorted, “Half-brothers to be fair.”

“So you knew they were brothers and didn’t say anything?!” Luna questioned, slamming her textbook shut as she stared at the redhead in amazement and frustration.

As soon as Luna was about to mouth off on Leo, the dorm room door swung open, much to Opal’s delight. Through the doors appeared a strawberry blonde man with a bright smile on his face. “What have I missed?” He asked happily, strutting through the room to sit on his bed.

“Hi Oliver” Opal greeted, Luna waving at the man as well. 

“Just talking about Asher Frederiksen, how have you been?” Leo mentioned, Oliver raising an eyebrow in return. 

“Asher Frederiksen? Didn’t his girlfriend fuck his brother?” 

The three immediately turned their heads towards the man, all immediately shocked. Could that perhaps be the cause of the rather intense stare down earlier? No, if anything that looked like _Ryder_ was the one who was angry.

What was up with them?

“You can’t just say that and not elaborate _!”_ Luna exclaimed, “ _Spill!”_

Oliver snorted, “I was getting there, but just know a lot of this is hearsay...but I do know for a _fact_ Ryder fucked Naomi while she was dating Asher.”

The trio went silent as they simply stared on at the man, waiting for more information as the man just sighed. “Well, I’ll start with what I know for certain, I think Naomi and Asher started dating sometime near the end of the year last year” He began, “I saw them at parties a lot, honestly anytime I saw him with her, he looked completely coked out of his mind.”

“So he _is_ on coke” Opal replied, Oliver quickly nodding his head. 

“Oh definitely, can’t remember anytime in particular I’ve seen him sober, but he definitely seemed far less sober than normal whenever he was with Naomi. This is just a rumor but apparently their relationship was built on sex, drugs, and partying.” The strawberry blonde man added on, “I believe it, they never looked too happy together when outside of a party setting.”

“A great foundation for a relationship, sex and drugs” Luna replied sarcastically, Opal giggling along with her. 

“Yeah, and I guess Ryder had come to visit to look around the school in June” Oliver continued, “Not really sure how he got into a college party, but I’m guessing Asher and Naomi vouched for him. Can’t really remember what happened specifically but I just remember there suddenly being a huge screaming match during the party.”

“Between Asher and Ryder?” Opal asked curiously.

“Oh fuck no” Oliver replied with a laugh, “I think Asher would rather die than hold Ryder responsible for being shitty, Asher pretty much blamed Naomi but still nearly got suckered into staying with her...just a rumor though.”

“And I guess Ryder and Naomi are dating now” Leo pointed out, Opal quickly turning her head towards the redhead. 

“What?”

“Jealous?” Luna asked teasingly with a giggle, Opal groaning as she shook her head.

“No, but he said he wasn’t seeing anyone in his interview so I’m kinda ticked that he lied to me” She retorted.

“To be fair, I doubt Ryder actually considers her his girlfriend” Oliver pointed out, “He certainly doesn’t say that to other girls he’s been with.”

So this was the worst possible outcome when it came to her new roommates, potential issues between two brothers who’d conveniently avoided telling her they were brothers, even when Opal specifically _asked_ Asher if he’d known Ryder. Plus, she couldn’t help but wonder if this girlfriend of Ryder’s would cause any issues. Afterall, June hadn’t been too far before. That was when she’d broken up with Olivia, and that _still_ felt fresh. 

She couldn’t help but wonder what she’d gotten herself into. 


	3. Chapter 3

The following six days had flown by in a flash, Opal feeling completely unprepared for the first day of college the next morning. Despite the fact she’d begun studying far in advance and had already planned out her day in between classes, she couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“Anyone have Chem 101 first thing in the morning?” Ryder asked, leaning back into the armchair.

“Is 10 o’clock really considered first thing in the morning for you?” Opal asked with a snicker as she approached the living room, sitting down on the couch.

“It is, is that a yes?” Ryder asked with a grin.

“I suppose so” Opal answered, “I have Math 231 and then Biology 101 lab after.

“I have Math 231 at 12:20” Asher mentioned casually as he stepped down the flight of stairs before moving to sit in the armchair adjacent to Ryder. 

“Math 231? What, did you fail math last year?” Ryder replied smugly, Asher just looking annoyed in response, sighing as he shook his head.

“Didn’t wanna take it last year, so I’m taking it this semester” Asher answered.

Something she’d learned over the past week was that Ryder did  _ not  _ like Asher. She wasn’t exactly sure why, as from what she’d heard, Asher seemed to treat Ryder rather well. However, she wasn’t willing to dive deep into their history, as it simply wasn’t her business. She would have to say something if it got any worse and started to affect the energy of the household, however.

Hopefully it didn’t get to that point.

“My bio lab ends at 4:30 so I have 30 minutes to get to volleyball practice after-“

“You play volleyball?” Ryder asked excitedly, perking up like a dog. 

“Aren’t you a bit short for that?” Asher commented, Opal growing flustered as she attempted to think of a response. 

“You know…” Opal started as she furrowed her brows, “Liberos don’t have to be tall!”

“What the hell is a libero?” Asher asked with a laugh, Ryder rolling his eyes at his brother. 

“Defensive backline” Ryder replied with a grin, “Can we go to one of your games?”

“Of course!” Opal replied happily, feeling her cheeks begin to heat up. She knew he was strictly off limits, as he did have a girlfriend, doesn’t matter if he played it down or not. Besides, the last thing she needed was a relationship, as she promised herself she’d take the time to focus on herself first.

Like  _ that  _ ever worked out.

She was relieved when she heard the front door begin to open, ending the momentary silence. The brunette girl softly smiled towards the three, “Tour guiding ran late, had to tour for a kids birthday” She explained before approaching the three. “Did I miss anything important?” Vivienne continued, moving to sit next to Opal. 

“Just talking about schedules” Opal answered, “What does yours look like?”

Vivienne pulled out her phone, scrolling through for a few seconds before putting it away with a smile. “Anyone have Math on Tuesdays and Thursdays? I also have Bio on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with my lab on Tuesdays.” The other three shook their heads as Vivienne sighed with a smile.

“That’s alright, just gives me a chance to meet new people!” The brunette replied happily.

“I doubt anyone I know is taking Danish” Opal sighed, “But I’ve got it bright and early on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” 

“You’re taking Danish?” Asher asked curiously, Opal happily nodding in return.

“Easy enough for a Norwegian” Opal replied proudly, Asher barely managing to stifle back laughter.

“Have fun with the numbers then.”

“Don’t you speak French though?” Vivienne pointed out, “I thought you were able to test out of language courses.”

Opal sighed as she nodded, “That’s true, but my mom guilted me into not testing out, she said it’s  _ “good experience”.”  _ The blonde smirked to herself however, “So I decided to take Danish and she’s pissed.”

“Why’s she pissed that you’re taking Danish?” Ryder asked casually, leaning back into his chair.

“She says it’s barbaric” Opal replied with a snort, Asher looking genuinely offended in return.

“Well that’s fucking rude”

“Her words, not mine” 

Ryder laughed along, “She’s not totally wrong though.”

Asher’s offense only grew, but he simply rolled his eyes at his younger brother. “Easy to say coming from the  _ only  _ family member who can’t speak Danish” Asher retorted teasingly, Ryder staring back at him in frustration.

“I’m not the  _ only  _ one-“

“Me, mom, Sebastian, and Aurora?”

Opal quickly stepped in before Ryder could begin to argue, “Who’s Sebastian and Aurora?” 

“Dad and sister” Ryder answered, “They both live in Romania.”

“Sebastian can speak Danish despite the fact he’s not even Danish” Asher added, Ryder glaring over at him.

The two continued to bicker about linguistics issues, and Opal was purely entertained. 

She just hoped it wouldn’t get any worse than this.

~ 

Her first class of the day was Chemistry 101, which she was pleased to have with Ryder. While she truthfully would’ve preferred a class or two with Luna, she was just happy to have known someone. However, their lab courses were on different days, so she was disappointed that she’d be paired up with someone she didn’t know as a lab partner. It could’ve been worse however. They’d instantly taken a seat by one another, Ryder making a flirty comment in which Opal tried to deflect immediately. 

Nothing out of the ordinary occured, the entire class received a syllabus and an overview of what the course would consist of. It seemed easy enough, it definitely wouldn’t be a course to cause her much issue.

She had an hour break in between Chemistry and Math. She was tempted to accept Ryder’s offer to hang out, but she knew it’d be irresponsible if she was late. Instead she’d taken the time to grab a coffee and go over her weekly schedule once again. After that, the walk to her math class wasn’t long. She’d made it with five minutes remaining before the beginning of class, but she’d begun to find herself growing uncomfortable as she realized she’d known no one in the classroom.

She’d almost forgotten that Asher was meant to be in her class as well. However, the blonde was quickly reminded when she saw the tall man enter through the double doors. He stuck out from most of the other students, but it was hard to expect him not to when he towered over most of their classmates. 

Opal wasn’t quite confident he’d choose to sit beside her, they weren’t that close after all. However, she ended up being pleasantly surprised as well as a bit nervous as he sat down next to her. 

She wondered if he had the same idea as her, to simply gravitate towards the one person she’d already known in the classroom. Neither spoke much however, and Opal didn’t have the time to chat after class as she immediately had to make her way towards the science building for her biology lab. She simply threw him an awkward smile before going on her way.

Opal had managed to make it with only a few minutes to spare, taking an empty seat as she was disappointed to see that she’d known no one in the classroom. However, she’d had to look on the bright side. It simply gave her more of an opportunity to meet new people. She was lucky to make such fast friends before, perhaps it could happen again.

As the clock struck 1:30, the professor had stood up from her seat. She gave the class a smile, opening a folder as she looked down. “I’m going to do roll call first and foremost...just to make sure we have everyone here” The professor commented as she began listing names of the students surrounding Opal.

She was growing antsy for her ensuing volleyball practice, with the pain of sitting through a three hour class only furthering her excitement. 

However, her excitement was quickly stomped on when the next name was called out.

“Naomi Salucci?” The professor called out, Opal averting her eyes towards a woman with dark hair and bold red lips who simply raised her hand in response. Opal felt a wave of cold rush over her as her eyes met with the woman, quickly looking away in fear.

She’d never actually  _ spoken  _ to Naomi, nor had she actually seen her at the house, despite the fact she was dating Ryder. The woman did have somewhat of a reputation that preceded her however. Naomi was known around campus as a stone cold bitch that stole boyfriends wherever she went, despite only having started attending the school the previous year. 

“Now that we’ve called roll, I want you to pick your lab partners” The professor announced, “Choose wisely, as you’ll be working together for the entirety of the semester.” 

Opal wasn’t even paying attention, and was completely taken by surprise when the brunette girl suddenly appeared in front of her. Her red lips were upturned into a smile as Opal simply stared up in fear. “Do you wanna be lab partners?” Naomi asked, Opal unsure if her anxiety showed as Naomi’s smile fell.

“Yes!” Opal blurted out, “I mean..sure!” 

Naomi nodded in return, turning towards their professor. “Professor Mitchell? Opal and I are partners” She exclaimed happily before giving Opal another smile and returning to her seat.

Opal wondered if she knew that she and Ryder lived under the same roof, she had to have known. There was no way Ryder  _ wouldn’t  _ have mentioned it, so did Naomi truly not mind? Either way, she hoped the positive energy from Naomi would continue. 

At least throughout the semester.

~

Opal knocked against the door of Leo and Oliver’s dorm. She could hear the chattering amongst the two men, along with another higher pitched voice. It was definitely Luna, and Opal was happy to see the woman open the door and greet her with a grin.

“Is that Opal?” Leo asked, standing up to look past Luna. “It is!” He exclaimed happily, “Took ya long enough!” 

The blonde sighed as she moved past Luna, “Sorry, had to shower and get changed after volleyball practice.”

She sat down on Leo’s bed as Luna approached her and sat beside her, “Hard practice?” 

Opal shook her head, “Nah, practice was fine just...something happened in my biology lab class.”

“Something bad?” Luna inquired as the corners of her lips curled downwards.

“I mean...not really?” Opal confessed, “It was just kind of weird..Naomi Salucci is in my biology lab and that scared the crap out of me and then she asked if I wanted to be her lab partner.”

“Well that doesn’t sound too bad” Oliver chimed in, “I’ve personally never had any issues with her.”

“You know, Ethan told me that her and Ryder fucked in his parents’ bedroom but that’s all I truly know” Luna added on, the other three just staring at her wide eyed. 

Opal shrugged as she moved past Luna’s comment, “I thought she was supposed to be like this mega bitch or something.” 

“A bitch? Sure” Leo commented, “A mega bitch? Not really. She’s nice enough, just don’t date her.”

Luna glanced over towards the red headed man, staring at him curiously. “How do you know all of this stuff exactly?” She asked, Leo just shrugging in return.

“I know people” 

Neither Opal or Luna were convinced, as they stared over at one another with skepticism.

Just  _ who  _ was it that was telling him this stuff?

~

Her first class the next day was Danish, Opal remaining optimistic yet nervous. Asher had given her a half hearted good luck before she’d left that morning, which might’ve been the nicest thing he’d ever said to her. However, her confidence wavered as she began to wonder if it’d be as easy as it seemed.

Asher didn’t seem to think so.

She’d arrived to class about 10 minutes early, only a few other students at their seats. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, Opal wasn’t expecting too many students to want to take Danish. However, the class surprisingly began to fill up before the clock finally struck 10 AM. Her professor immediately stood up from her desk and wrote “ _ Mit navn er ______”  _ on the white board. The woman turned to the class with a smile and a clipboard, “I want to do something different for roll call, instead of me calling out your name, I want you guys to stand up one by one and introduce yourselves in Danish.”

Opal repeated the phrase in her head _ , “Mit navn er...Mit navn er…” _

She was lucky that the other students didn’t seem to do any better when called upon.

_ “Mit nah-vin er” _

She couldn’t help but smile to herself slightly, but began to feel her stomach drop as the person next to her stood up and introduced themselves. It was her turn next, and she hesitated as she stood up.

“Mit navn er Opal Stjerne” She said meekly, her professor smiling over to her.

“Are you Norwegian-American by any chance?” The woman asked, Opal’s cheeks going red as she wondered how she knew.

“Y-yes! How could you tell?” Opal asked in return.

“The way you spoke Danish was distinctively Norwegian, I used to teach a Danish course specifically tailored for Scandinavian students. However, you have an American accent when you speak English. Most Norwegians and Scandinavians in general tend to speak British English” The woman explained, “We’ll have to work on your pronunciations but I’m sure you’ll be a great asset to this class either way.”

Opal sat down shyly, unsure whether to be embarrassed by the fact she essentially announced herself in Norwegian or feel giddy due to the praise her professor had implied. 

Her phone buzzed in her purse, Opal slyly taking a moment to glance down at the message.

Noie   
  
Hey, do you wanna go to Dullum’s after my band class? I should be out at 6:15 tonight  
  


Opal waited until after her class to reply to her brother, but agreed happily.

Noie   
  
Hey, do you wanna go to Dullum’s after my band class? I should be out at 6:15 tonight  
  
Sure! ❤️  
  


~

The blonde arrived at the coffee shop around 5 minutes after Noah’s class was released, surprised to be greeted by Sigve. “ _ Hei! _ Blondie!” Sigve said playfully, giving Opal a wide grin.

Opal walked to the counter as she smirked over at him, “Isn’t calling me blondie kind of redundant when you’re also blonde?”

“No one’s stopping you from calling me blondie, blondie”

Opal couldn’t contain her laughter, “Alright then blondie, I thought you worked mostly morning shifts.”

Sigve shrugged, “Didn’t feel well this morning, so bossman put me on closing shift tonight.”

“You call your dad  _ bossman _ ?” Opal asked curiously

“I do, enough about me though” Sigve trailed off, “You’re never here this late, special occasion?” 

Opal smiled brightly at the barista, “Sort of...my brother invited me out for coffee!”

“Your brother-”

Both immediately turned their glances towards the front door as the bell rang. Opal was excited to see her twin brother in the frame, immediately approaching her.

“Well shit, I didn’t know there were two of you!” Sigve greeted happily, “I’m Sigve.”

Noah looked rather uncomfortable, but simply responded with “Noah” before nodding his head at the man. “I’ll just have a black coffee,” Noah added, Opal furrowing her brow at him.

“Coffee? At 6 pm? That’ll keep you up all night!” She lectured, Noah just rolling his eyes in return.

“Losing our Norwegianness are we?” Noah teased.

“N-no!” She replied defensively before turning towards Sigve, “Just a green tea for me.”

“Comin’ right up!”

The pair immediately took a seat at a nearby table, Opal smiling happily at her brother. “How have your classes gone?” She asked excitedly, “It’s really cool that your schedule is made up of mostly music classes, I know how much you fought mom about pursuing a career in music.”

“It probably won’t be the last time I will either” Noah replied, “How have your classes gone?”

“Pretty well! I know someone in most of my classes surprisingly” She answered.

“Still sticking with Danish?”

“I am! It’s going...alright so far, got told I speak Danish like a Norwegian though.”

“Isn’t one of your roommates Danish? Should be easy to practice”

Opal bit her lip and shrugged, realizing she’d failed to tell Noah the extent of her relationships with her roommates. Her and Vivienne got along fine, Opal wasn’t sure if she was a friend yet but it seemed like they were on the way there. Ryder had the same situation as Vivienne, but Asher was an entirely different story. 

She couldn’t say for certain if Asher disliked her, but they didn’t seem to interact much outside of Asher sometimes teasing her in front of others. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure what to think of him either. It wasn’t that he was a bad roommate or anything, his room was always somewhat clean, did his own laundry, and he mostly kept to himself. However, it wasn’t hard to  _ feel  _ as though he was judging you even if he said nothing. 

“Yeah I guess” She replied quietly, “Anyways, you should come meet my roommates soon!”

Noah chuckled as he shook his head, “No thanks, not really interested in meeting your prospective boyfriends at the moment.”

“Boyfriends?!” Opal replied, her cheeks flushing from embarrassment. “Who do you think I am? And you know one of my roommates is a girl!” She quickly added.

Noah sighed, “No offense Opal, but you have this really bad habit of immediately clinging onto people you barely know after you get hurt.”

He wasn’t wrong, but she just wished he hadn’t have said it like that. 

“I’m not trying to be mean or anything, I just want you to be careful” Noah added, “You do have a type.”

Opal shook her head with a sigh, “Can we change the topic?”

“Mom’s upcoming visit?”

“ _ Anything  _ but that, please.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> she's a little short sry

Opal could feel herself beginning to struggle with Calculus. She wasn’t sure where this was coming from, as pre-calculus in high school had been a breeze for her. She glanced over at Asher to see if perhaps he showed a sign of struggle as well, but to not avail. She quickly looked away before the man could tell. 

“Alright, remember we have a quiz on Monday! Have a good weekend” Their professor said happily, everyone standing up and heading towards the door. Before she could meekly say goodbye to Asher, her phone buzzed. She pulled her phone out of her purse, unlocking it before glancing over the message.

It was from Luna.

Una Luna ❤️   
  
hey   
  
do u wanna get lunch w me and leo?   
  
we'll probs just get sandwiches and hang out in the quad   
  
i'd love to!! ❤️❤️   
  
alright cool i'll let leo know   
  
meet us at messys   
  
luv u ❤️   
  
ily2❤️❤️❤️❤️   
  


Opal shut off her phone before putting it back in her purse, walking through the hallways towards the exit. She’d missed Asher, as he’d appeared to have snuck away before she could say goodbye as awkwardly as possible as usual. It didn’t matter much anyways, it wasn’t like they didn’t live together. 

~

“Why’d you ditch us last night?” Leo said jokingly as the three moved to sit down at a picnic table. They were lucky to have snagged it, as the other option was sitting in the wet grass. “Hiding a boyfriend from us?” Leo teased, “Or a girlfriend? I don’t judge.”

Opal pulled her sandwich out of the paper bag before handing out the other two as she laughed. “Nothing like that, if I started dating someone you guys would be the first to know” She insisted, “I just went to Dullums’ with my brother.” 

Leo nodded before taking a bite of his sandwich. “ _thas cool, mmph”_ Leo said with his mouth full, Luna looking over at him with disgust. “I miss my sister, it’s cool that you have your brother around” He added, Luna untensing as Leo swallowed his food. 

“ _I_ wish my sister would go as far away as possible” Luna chimed in, Leo and Opal both staring at her in confusion.

“I thought your sister lived in New York?” Opal asked curiously.

Luna nodded, “She does, but she likes to visit as much as possible to make my life a living hell.” She bit her lip in frustration, “I overheard her talking with my dad about her moving in, if she does I _need_ one of you to either let me move in or kill me immediately.”

“Well I live in a dorm…”

“I mean...the couch is a futon if you really want-“

Luna sighed as she shook her head, “It’s fine, hopefully she’s not actually serious.” 

The three sat in silence, Leo and Opal beginning to feel guilty about their overly positive relationships with their siblings. 

At least Luna had Ryder to relate to if she really needed someone.

~

Their lunch didn’t last much longer than half an hour, as Luna had her psychology class at 2 PM. The pair walked her to her building before saying goodbye. Leo turned to Opal with a grin, “Do you need a ride back to the house?”

Opal shrugged with a smile, “I guess if you’re offering.” 

“Alright cool!” He replied happily, “I’m parked by the romance lit building, not that much of a walk but a bit...I did wanna talk with you about something though.”

Opal raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”

The two began to walk down the concrete path, “So I think I… kinda like someone” Leo started, Opal feeling her stomach drop.

_Oh god please no._

“And I don’t really know how to tell them” He continued shyly, Opal biting her lip in nervousness as Leo simply let out a sigh, “I like Luna.”

_Thank_ _god._

Opal immediately perked up into a smile, “Aww, that’s sweet!” 

Leo laughed nervously, “Yeah...I just don’t really know what to say to her you know?” The ginger sighed heavily as he ran his hands through his hair, “It’s like, I’ll say something and she’ll correct me and I’ll be like, wow she’s so smart! But then I realize I look like an idiot and she probably thinks I’m stupid.”

Opal frowned as she shook her head, “I’m sure that’s not true, you should tell her!” Opal truthfully wasn’t sure if Luna returned his feelings, as she seemed to keep quiet about any romantic thoughts in general. Opal _did_ however notice that Luna tended to act differently around Leo, so perhaps that was a sign.

“You think so?” Leo asked, “I’m just not sure how I’d tell her.”

“Just be straightforward with her, vagueness is kind of a turn off” Opal confessed. 

“Alright, I’ll talk to Oliver as well and see what he says!” Leo declared happily, straightening his shoulders with a grin. “I feel like an ass though, we’ve been talking about me this entire time!” He exclaimed, “How have things with the roommates been?”

Opal was surprised, flustering as she nervously smiled. “It’s going alright I suppose!” Opal paused, Leo not seeming convinced, “Sort of….with Vivienne..and maybe Ryder too.”

“I’m guessing Asher still doesn’t talk to you?”

Opal groaned in frustration, “It’s just so annoying! Imagine trying to say hi to someone every single day and all they do is nod at you and _maybe_ wave on a good day! And if he _does_ talk to me he’s usually making fun of me, you know he told me I was too short for volleyball!” 

Leo couldn’t help but laugh, “Well, it’s a fair assumption!”

Opal glared over at him, Leo immediately backing off. “Alright, alright! I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Asher doesn’t really talk to anyone he doesn’t know. Take it as a compliment if he’s at least comfortable enough to tease you.” 

“He calls me _norsky_ ” She grumbled.

“Aw see, that’s kind of nice!”

“It’s used in a derogatory fashion!”

“Doesn’t Noah have the word norsky in his twitter handle?”

“We’re changing the subject!”

Leo laughed, “Alright well, how are the brothers doing?”

“That’s the same topic” Opal replied.

“No, we’re not talking about _you_ and Asher, we’re talking about _Ryder_ and Asher.”

Opal rolled her eyes, “Whatever, they’re getting along not great as usual. Either they’re bickering about dumb stuff or Ryder is ignoring him, no in between.” 

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on to make _Ryder_ mad at Asher, but I do know about the Naomi stuff obviously and then the fact they spent their teenage years 2,000 km apart.” 

Opal raised an eyebrow, “Really? How come.”

“Well they’re half-brothers” Leo explained, “Although Sebastian might as well be Asher’s dad, he’s been around since Asher was a baby. Anyways, Asher’s mom and Sebastian divorced when Asher was 12 and he moved back to Romania with Ryder and Aurora.”

Opal couldn’t help but feel bad for both of them. It couldn’t have been easy to suddenly be separated from your other parent and siblings, especially being separated by 2,000 km. However, there was something else she was more concerned with.

“How do you know all of this?” She asked.

Leo shrugged, “I have my sources.”

She tapped her chin, “Is it Asher?”

Leo shook his head, “Asher doesn’t tell just anybody about his life, so no.”

Opal’s curiosity grew, just _who_ would know all of this stuff?

And who did Asher trust enough to tell.

Shortly after, they arrived at Leo’s car.

“How about we talk about how you’re gonna tell Luna your feelings instead?” She suggested, Leo happily nodding as they both got into the car.


	5. Chapter 5

She’d burned her arm on her curling iron. A red spot was beginning to form as it stung in pain. But right now, it was the least of her concerns.

Opal quickly ran cold water over the burn as she continued to fiddle with her hair. Her mother was visiting that weekend, and Opal hadn’t been as anxious about anything in her life. Except the last time her mother had visited. 

Astrid Hovland (formerly Astrid Stjerne) had an odd way of showing her love, particularly towards her daughter. Some would call it tough love.

Others would call it straight up mental abuse.

Either way, Opal still felt incredibly happy at the thought of seeing her mother.

She exited her bathroom and made her way down the two flights of stairs to see Asher and Ryder in the kitchen. She smiled at the two happily, “Good morning!”

“Morning” Ryder replied with a grin.

Asher ate a spoonful of cereal, half-heartedly waving at her silently.

“You’re up early” Ryder commented, Opal giggling in return.

“You know I wake up at 6 am everyday, right?” She answered playfully. “This is actually sleeping in for me.” 

Ryder’s cheeks quickly flushed as he nodded, “Oh...alright.”

Asher snorted in response, Ryder glaring over at him in return.

“Needed to be well rested” Opal explained, “I’ve got important business to attend to!” 

“I didn’t know your mom visiting was considered important business” Asher commented, Opal tried to find a retort but came up empty. She simply huffed at him before turning her attention away from the Dane.

“ _ Anyways _ ” She emphasized, “I’ll be back around five.”

“Can we order pizza?” Ryder asked, seeking her approval, bewildering Opal in the process.

“I...I guess?” She replied, confused, “I’m not your mom, you know.”

“I’d say otherwise,” Asher retorted.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You lectured me for not bringing down my laundry on laundry day two days ago so-“

“Because what you end up doing is doing your laundry at 3 AM after taking cocaine! I’d rather just do it for you at this point-” 

Before she could add anymore, her phone buzzed. It was a text from her brother. 

Noe  
  
We're here  
  


Opal sighed, “I have to go.”

“Tell your mom I say hi!” Ryder replied happily.

“Please don’t say anything about us, I don’t wanna get kicked out” Asher countered. 

Opal stared at the brunette before shaking her head, “Alright fine.” 

“Bye!” Ryder said.

“Bye” Opal replied before heading out the front door. As she stepped out onto the concrete, she came face to face with her mother. Her dark hair framed her face in a bob, piercing blue eyes examining the house before looking towards her daughter.

_ “Dokke mi!”  _ Astrid exclaimed happily, approaching the blonde.

_ “Hei mamma!”  _ Opal replied before pulling the taller woman into a tight hug. They stood there for a few moments before Astrid pulled back.

“How have you been? It’s been so long!” The older woman exclaimed before kissing her forehead.

Opal laughed, “I’ve been good!” She grinned before hugging her mom again, “I’ve missed you!” 

“I’ve missed you too! You and your brother need to visit Oslo soon” Astrid suggested, “ _ Mormor  _ and _ morfar  _ miss both of you lots!” Before Opal could reply, Astrid looked over her shoulder at Noah’s car. “Ah! We shouldn’t keep your brother waiting too much longer” Astrid suggested, taking her daughter’s hand. Noah half heartedly waved at the two, Opal smiling over at him.

She wasn’t sure if her nerves had been relieved or made worse by her mother’s positive demeanor. 

~ 

The three of them sat inside of the diner, crowded by the other patrons as Astrid attempted to speak over the volume. “How’s music going?” She asked Noah, looking towards the man.

“Fine” He simply replied, paying his mother very little attention.

The woman wouldn’t let up however, raising an eyebrow at her son. “Minoring in anything?” She continued, Noah ignoring her as the frustration became clear in the woman. “Taking any other courses?” She asked again sharply, Noah finally turning his head to blankly stare at her.

“I do what’s required of me and nothing more” He answered, clearly not satisfying their mother as Opal snorted in response. This alerted Astrid’s attention towards Opal, giving her a wide smile.

“What about you,  _ dokke? _ ” She asked sweetly, “Anything new with you?”

“Not much outside of classes and volleyball” She confessed, “But I’ve made some new friends!”

“How are your grades?” Astrid continued, seemingly ignoring her response.

“Well classes only started a few weeks ago…” Opal started, before being cut off by her mother. 

“Surely you’ve had homework and projects, no?” Astrid added, Opal squirming uncomfortably in her seat. It wasn’t that her grades were bad or anything, they were actually great. 

But great was never good enough for Astrid. 

“I have….” Opal replied, Astrid raising an eyebrow.

“So?”

“I did fine” 

Astrid simply stared at Opal, her face remaining unchanged. “Hmm…” She started, “Alright.” 

The tension in the air could be cut with a knife, the three sitting in silence as the two stared at one another. It was only stopped short by Noah letting out a light cough.

“So ma, have you met Opal’s roommates yet?” Noah asked, attempting to make light conversation. However, little did he know that this was exactly  _ not  _ what Opal wanted to hear.

_ “Shut the fuck up”  _ She mouthed to him, Noah grimacing in reply. Astrid didn’t seem to notice however.

“I have not” She answered, “But hopefully we’ll have time later.” 

“Hopefully” Opal added on, faking a smile as Noah began to sink into his seat.

There wasn’t any possible way it could get worse, but Astrid could always find a way.

~

Surprisingly enough, Astrid didn’t seem to cause too much trouble after that. They had a relatively decent afternoon at the aquarium, Opal explaining that one of her roommates worked there. Astrid didn’t seem to take notice however, simply saying nothing in response. Opal would normally be annoyed, but Astrid saying nothing was better than her unprompted offhand comments.

It was around 6 PM when they'd arrived back at Opal’s house, Noah simply telling Opal goodbye while Astrid stepped out of the car. “I presume we’ll be having lunch tomorrow?” Astrid asked, Opal nodding in response.

“Yep!”

“Perhaps Noah and I will stop by earlier, I’d like to have a moment to acquaint myself with your roommates.”

Opal froze, her mother had mentioned it offhand before, but she was hoping she’d forget about it. After all, it wasn’t likely that Ryder or Asher would make a good first impression on her. She should’ve lied and said she’d only had one roommate, her mom would probably like Vivienne well enough. 

“Yeah, maybe” Opal replied, her mother smiling before leaning in to hug her. 

“Love you,  _ dokke mi”  _ She said softly, Opal hugging her in return.

“Love you too,  _ mamma.” _

Astrid got back into Noah’s car, Opal approaching the stairs up to the front door. As she opened the door, she saw the two brothers sitting quietly in the living room. Ryder was scrolling on his phone while Asher did his homework on the coffee table.

_ Just who I needed to see.  _

“I need you guys to be out of the house by 11 AM tomorrow” Opal declared, Asher glancing up at her in confusion. 

Ryder simply wasn’t fazed, “Alright.”

“Why?” Asher asked. 

“My mom wants to come over early and meet you guys” She explained, “And I think the reason why you need to be out of the house is obvious.”

“What about Vivienne?” Ryder asked, Opal simply shrugging.

“I don’t care if mom meets her to be honest, she’s nice and probably won’t set any alarms off.” 

Before Ryder could reply, Asher simply let out a groan. “What am I supposed to do at 11 AM on a Sunday?” He muttered, Opal furrowing her eyebrows in response as she turned toward the Dane.

“Do what you usually do on Sundays, just not here” Opal suggested, Asher tapping his chin in response.

“What do I normally do on Sundays?”

“Cocaine”

Ryder snorted, but Asher wasn’t as amused. 

“Oh, so now I’ve been reduced to my cocaine usage?” Asher replied, Opal having no response except to stare at him in frustration.

“Just don’t be here” She replied through gritted teeth, Ryder looking on at her with sympathy.

“You seem snippy” He commented, Opal just sighing as she shook her head.

“Sorry, I’m just incredibly stressed out” She apologized.

“Well you don’t have to worry about a thing, we won’t be here” Ryder promised with a grin, Asher glancing away with a huff.

“I don’t know why you’re worrying” He grumbled, “ _ We’re  _ the ones that’d be getting kicked out.”

His attitude was  _ really _ starting to grind her gears. “Two of the best options in town were a drug dealer and a coke addict, do you  _ actually  _ think I wanna look  _ again?”  _ She snapped in return, both of them staring at one another as Asher failed to respond. 

Ryder was simply glancing between the two uncomfortably.

Before the silence became suffocating, Asher spoke. “Fair point” He muttered. 

She sighed, partially out of relief and frustration. “I’m gonna go lie down,” She proclaimed.

And of course Asher couldn’t just let her go quietly.

“I forgive you for implying all I do is cocaine” He added.

Opal clenched her teeth before giving him one final response.

“I didn’t apologize.” 

~

While she initially just wanted to pass out and forget her less than pleasant interaction Asher, there was something else that was bothering her. It was almost as if she’d forgotten the entire debacle with her mother. However, she wasn’t one to be easily thrown to the side.

There was only  _ one  _ person who would understand.

Opal grabbed her phone, opening her messages and texting her sister.

Marie  
  
Hei  
  
Hei!  
  
We haven't talked in a while, how have you been?  
  
Pretty good  
  
I take it you're texting me because mom's visiting?  
  
I feel selfish, I'm sorry  
  
No worries, we've both been busy  
  
I don't love you any less for it (Smiling Face With Smiling Eyes )  
  
I love you too ❤️  
  
Now what's been going on with mom?  
  
She's just incredibly suffocating and she's only been here a day  
  
Anytime she speaks to me I feel like she's judging my every move and thought  
  
And it feels like she only does it to me? She barely even acknowledges when Noah implies he's not doing what she wants him to do, but when I do it, I get crucified  
  
Ah, good old mom  
  
I think what's happening is that she doesn't make a fuss about Noah because she knows he doesn't care and won't listen to her  
  
She knows that you do care and you take her every word and run with it  
  
Just try not to acknowledge her back handedness, she'll back off eventually  
  
You make it sound so easy  
  
It worked for me  
  
I should probably get some rest before tomorrow  
  
You'll definitely need it  
  
But hang in there kiddo, soon enough mom will let down  
  
I hope you're right  
  
Love you ❤️  
  
Love you too  
  


Opal put her phone back on her bedside table, while there was only so much her sister could do from 2,500 miles away, she felt a little better knowing that she at least had her support. She just needed to survive one more day and it would all be over.

Until next time, that is.

~

The beginning of lunch couldn’t be described in any other way than  _ awkward.  _ The three of them barely spoke, but Opal would rather have that than being chewed out for her choice in roommates. Vivienne was working early that day and Asher and Ryder found something to keep them entertained outside of the house for a few hours. 

Astrid lightly coughed as she glanced between her two children before setting her eyes on her son. “So” She began, “Noh.”

Noah didn’t even care to look up from his phone as he let out a simple “Mhm?”

“Have you made any new friends?” She asked.

“One” Noah answered, not even caring to elaborate as Astrid just stared at him.

“And?”

Noah finally glanced over towards her, “She plays the keyboard.”

“Oh?” Astrid replied as she raised an eyebrow, “A girl?”

Noah quickly stopped her dead in her tracks, “She’s a lesbian.”

The silence returned as Astrid was simply at a loss for words. She cleared her throat, “You know Noah…” Opal glanced between the two as her mother continued, “I worry about you sometimes.”

“Please enlighten me, mother” Noah answered, uninterested as he scrolled through his phone.

“You’re almost 18 years old with no prior girlfriends!” She argued, Opal afraid that she was going to start a scene.

“Good thing I’m not worried about it”

“Why don’t you ask Opal to set you up with one of her roommates?” 

Noah snorted, “Two of them are guys.”

And suddenly, Opal was fully engaged in this conversation. She could feel her cheeks begin to redden as she held back the urge to yell at her brother for replying to their mother at all. She could feel her mother’s piercing stare, Opal biting her lip.

“Two guys?” Astrid asked, Opal simply not replying. “Were there any ulterior motives for this, dear?” She continued in an accusatory tone. Opal wasn’t expecting to be slut shamed by her own mother for simply existing around men, but she should have come to expect these double standards from Astrid.

“No” Opal answered calmly, “I just wanted three people who could pay rent on time and two of those people happened to be guys.” 

Astrid pursed her lips, unconvinced, “I see.” Opal simply wanted to curl up and die, which wasn’t helped by her mother’s final words on the topic.

“I just hope you’re carrying yourself well.” 

~

The first half of the car ride home was filled with awkward silence and heavy tension. Opal could sense the guilt on Noah’s face, her brother biting his lip as he gripped onto the steering wheel. Astrid had her hands in her lap as she stared forward. Opal was hoping to have the rest of the ride be similar, but that hope was shattered when Astrid turned to look back at her daughter.

“So, what does your academic schedule look like?” Astrid asked.

Opal always hated how her mother spoke to her, overly formal and condescending. But she was too afraid to ever speak up about it. “I have three classes a day, except I only have two on Friday” She answered, her mother squinting as her, dissatisfied. 

“I still think you should’ve declared a minor” She said, “And why are you taking Danish? It’s barbaric.”

“Well, Danish is actually kind of an interesting language” She defended, "I think it’s cool to see the similarities between-“ 

“And it will certainly get you nowhere in life” Astrid retorted. “Why not take German like your brother?” She asked.

Opal attempted to contain the frustration that boiled inside of her, clenching her fists as Noah quickly spoke up. “Mom, that might be the nicest thing you’ve said to me all weekend” He joked, neither Opal or Astrid being very amused. The blonde man sighed, “But seriously ma, you should lay off on Opal about-“ 

“Eyes on the road” Astrid commanded before turning back towards her daughter, “And I still don’t understand why you chose to go to school in America.” Before Opal could even begin to defend herself, Astrid continued. “There are  _ far  _ finer colleges across Europe” She added. 

Opal felt truly defeated, “I guess.” 

Astrid sighed, “If you’re truly serious about this whole doctor thing we can discuss you attending a medical school in Europe after you graduate.” 

They pulled into the driveway, Opal simply not responding to her mother’s statement. As Noah put the car into park, he glanced back at Opal. “Drove as fast as I could” Noah muttered.

Nothing could get past their mother however, who quickly scolded him. “Noah!” She chastised, Noah not answering as his mother exited the car. He turned to give Opal a sympathetic look as she stepped out as well. 

Neither of them exchanged words as they simply stared at one another. Opal wasn’t even sure what there  _ was  _ to say to her mother. She’d pretty much torn apart all of her confidence in her choices within an hour. She wasn’t sure if it was even worth faking a smile anymore.

“Hopefully I’ll see you again soon,  _ dokke mi.”  _ Astrid said to her daughter sweetly. Opal grimaced as her mother stared at her lovingly. She was trying to guilt her into forgetting, as usual.

“Hopefully” Opal replied quietly. 

Astrid sighed as she pulled her daughter in for a hug, Opal tensing up in response. “I love you” She whispered.

Opal tried to fight off the tears as she lightly hugged her mother in return, “Love you too.” 

They didn’t exchange any more words after that, Astrid opening the passenger door and getting into Noah’s car. Opal waved at the two before scurrying up the short flight of stairs and entering the house. She opened the front door, walking inside before slamming it behind her. 

After not even two steps inside the house, she burst into tears. She felt pathetic for letting her mother’s words have this much of an effect on her. She  _ knew  _ that her mother had done this in the past, not just to her, but to her older sister as well. She was expecting this behavior from her mother, but she still took every word to heart.

She wiped away the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her sweaters, her vision becoming less blurry. She glanced up towards the staircase, her stomach dropping as her eyes met with Asher’s who stood there quietly. 

He didn’t look to be judging her, at least from what she could see. That was a plus, as Opal felt as though Asher was  _ constantly  _ judging her. If anything, he seemed to be completely bewildered. It didn’t matter either way, she  _ had _ to find a way out of this. 

“I’m fine!” She confidently claimed, “Saw a sad dog video and got emotional!” Opal laughed as she wiped away her tears, “The usual, for me anyways.”

Asher looked completely unconvinced, staring at her with pity in his eyes. 

She  _ hated  _ that. 

“Don’t worry about me!” Opal added happily, moving to walk up the stairs. Asher stopped her dead in her tracks. He reached out an arm, blocking the staircase. She had no time to react at all, bumping into him with an  _ “oof.”  _

She couldn’t even bear to look up at him, only hearing a deep sigh. “I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this but, you’re a god awful liar” Asher told her as he shook his head. Opal clenched her fists, attempting to hold in her frustration. All she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and forget that weekend had ever happened. 

Why did Asher even care about why she was crying in the first place? It’s not like he’d ever asked before. Was he trying to humiliate her or something? 

She couldn’t fight back the tears any longer, sharply biting her lip as a last resort. Her eyes began to water, the tears rolling down her cheeks as she tried to find the right words to say. Was there any point in trying to explain herself? Did Asher actually have the level of empathy to hear her out?

Opal could feel the anxiety beginning to bubble in her chest, her instincts were telling her to push past the man and dart upstairs to her bedroom.

It was the only place she wanted to be.

The tears continued to pour down her face, breathing becoming more and more difficult by the second. All she could think about was how pathetic she must’ve looked. She knew Asher was getting some enjoyment out of this, watching her fall apart right in front of his eyes. She was beginning to hyperventilate, putting a hand on her chest.

She heard Asher mumble, “Shit…”

Then suddenly, she felt him put his hands on both of her shoulders. “Breathe in through your nose” Asher said, “Out through your mouth.” 

Opal tried to take his advice, shakily breathing in and out. “In through your nose” He repeated, “Out through your mouth.” She continued to do as he said, her breath still shaky and hesitant. “Focus on your breathing” He said, “Just keep doing that over and over.”

He took his hands off of her shoulders, the two standing in silence as Opal continued her breathing. She felt her breathing being able to come on a little bit easier, but the tears still continued to stream down her cheeks. 

“Can you breathe?” Asher asked.

Opal still avoided eye contact, staring down at the ground as she nodded. “I hate that she makes me react this way” She mumbled, Asher raising an eyebrow at the girl.

“What do you mean?”

Opal shook her head as she laughed, “I’ve come to expect my mom’s constant criticism of me but I still let it affect me.” The girl wiped away her tears, “Nothing I ever do is good enough for her.” She hated how pathetic she looked, she just wished she could grow thicker skin. “I’m taking 3 courses a day for four days a week out of five, but apparently that’s not enough,” She added, “I decided to take Danish courses and did well on my placement exams, but apparently I’m wasting my credits because it’s  _ “useless”  _ and  _ “barbaric.””  _

She glanced up at Asher, eyes meeting for a moment before she looked away again. “And apparently having guy roommates makes me some kind of slut” She muttered, “It’s just frustrating that I can’t escape her, no matter how far away I go.” 

“And apparently I’m going to a European medical school!” She exclaimed, “So I guess I don’t even get a choice in that.” Opal sighed, “Sometimes I feel like I’m just…”

_ Dokke mi _

She paused for a moment, remembering her mom’s nickname for her. Something she’d been called for as long as she could remember. The tears started pouring once again as she buried her head in her hands. 

“This...isn’t quite the same” Asher started, “But my dad was kinda like that too.” The man sighed, “Left before I could sit up by myself, but still tried to control me despite not having seen me in upwards of a decade.” Opal glanced up at the man, who looked away from her. “He was always in contact with my teachers, even though he wasn’t listed as any kind of guardian” He continued, “He used to send me typed out letters with his signature pasted on it like it was a god damn doctor’s note, not something he sent to his own kid.” 

Opal frowned, that shouldn’t even be legal! “So he contacted your teachers and got information from them?” She asked, “He shouldn’t be able to do that.” 

Asher shrugged, “He’s a renowned professor, rules don’t apply to him and never did.” Asher sighed as he shook his head, putting his hands in his jeans pockets. “I’m not gonna drone on about my dad being shitty because it’s not really relevant” He added, “But my point is, I came to America to get away from any chance of him pulling that shit in college.” Asher sighed as he sympathetically put a hand on her shoulder, “You can do that too, what’s your mom gonna do from Oslo?”

“Not all Norwegians live in Oslo” Opal replied with a sniff, Asher quickly freezing up as he stammered to respond. She couldn’t help the giggle that escaped from her lips however, wiping away her tears. “I’m messing with you, she does live in Oslo” She added, still laughing. Asher furrowed his eyebrows as she continued to laugh, “I’m sorry! I just knew I’d feel better teasing you.” 

“I’m taking back my advice” The man grumbled.

Opal shook her head, “It’s too late for that now.”

Opal could tell Asher was beginning to crack, letting out the lightest of laughter. “You’re kind of annoying, you know that?” He teased.

The blonde smiled happily, “I know.” Her face fell once again as she sighed however, “On a serious note though…” Opal bit her lip, “It feels like she’ll always manage to sink her claws back into me either way.” 

“Chin up kid” Asher said as he looked down at the blonde, “She’ll leave you alone eventually if you stop letting her control you.” 

Opal sighed, “I suppose you’re right.” She thought about it for a moment, “It sort of worked for Noah.” Asher raised an eyebrow, waiting for the woman to explain. “She never wanted Noah to go into music, despite signing the two of us up for singing and piano lessons as kids.” She couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her brother, “But Noah’s always just ignored her, and she stopped trying.” 

“And there you go” Asher replied, “Just stop giving into her, she’ll get the hint eventually.” 

“I hope you’re right” She sighed.

“She’s not coming over is she?” He asked.

Opal shook her head, “I just told her you guys were out.” She laughed, “To be honest I thought you were out, otherwise I would’ve had my breakdown in my room.”

“Well I  _ tried  _ to go out but quickly realized I’d get arrested for doing coke in broad daylight so I just came back and sat in my room” Asher explained, “But then I got hungry so here we are.”

Opal smiled, “Here we are.” 

~

The three of them sat in the living room, Luna and Leo looking over the latter’s Spanish homework. The dark haired girl sighed, “For someone who already speaks a romance language...your Spanish pronunciation is absolute shit.” 

Leo groaned as he looked down at the paper, “Give me a break, French and Spanish aren’t  _ that  _ similar.” 

“You should  _ at least _ know how to pronounce Spanish words” Luna teasingly shot back, “You sound like a white American.” 

Opal was aimlessly reading through her Danish textbook, somewhat following along with Luna and Leo’s conversation.  _ “They fight like a married couple…”  _ She thought to herself, Leo never really knew subtlety when it came to his own feelings. As she was reading, she felt her phone buzz. She picked up her phone, seeing a text from Noah. 

Noe  
  
Just dropped mom off at the airport  
  
You told her I wasn't feeling well, right?  
  
I did  
  
You owe me one  
  
Thank you  
  
Did she talk shit about me the entire ride there?  
  
No, she just kinda sat in silence  
  
I'm about to drive back, I'll talk to you later  
  
Drive safe  
  


Opal locked her phone, putting it down beside her. 

“Was that Ryder?” Leo asked. “Is he coming back with the McDonalds? I’m starving.” 

Opal shook her head in response, “It wasn’t.” 

“God dammit you guys, I knew we shouldn’t have let him go pick it up!” Leo exclaimed, “He probably took a detour to sell meth and now our food’s getting cold.” Leo seemed genuinely upset, pouting as he crossed his arms. 

Luna rolled her eyes, ignoring Leo. “Who was it Opal?” She asked, “You looked pretty serious.” 

“It was just Noah” She explained, “He was telling me that he dropped mom off at the airport.” 

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot that your mom was visiting” The ginger replied, “How did that go?” 

“It went well!” Opal started, clearly lying. She smiled at the two, “First we-“ 

“Norsky”

Opal turned around to see Asher standing at the foot of the staircase. “Need your help with something” He claimed, heading over to the sliding door leading to the backyard. Opal wasn’t quite sure what he wanted, but she stood up and followed him outside. 

Asher slid the door closed behind her and sighed, “Why are you lying?”

Opal was quickly taken aback, Huh?”

“It went  _ “well?””  _ He replied, “That’s not the impression I got.” 

“It’s kind of hard to complain about my mom without seeming ungrateful seeing as though she literally bought me a  _ house”  _ She tried to stay as quiet as she could, avoiding raising her voice.

“Jesus christ Opal, It’s not like she annoyed you or something, she’s psychologically abusing you!” He exclaimed, “You think her buying you a house is some kind of a coincidence? She’s trying to keep you under her thumb.”

She hated that he was right, and she hated that it was him that made her realize it. Her mom had been spoiling her with lavish gifts for  _ years,  _ Astrid must’ve known that Opal’s demeanor would keep her from rejecting it. Her mom had been using material things to continue to manipulate her. 

Opal couldn’t help as the tears began to well up in her eyes, Asher’s face immediately falling as he panicked.

“Wait shit, I’m-“ 

Opal wiped away her tears, “No, it’s fine..I’ve just…” The girl sighed as another tear rolled down her cheek, “I’ve never thought of it that way.” She wrapped her hands around her waist in discomfort, “I think Noah’s been trying to tell me this for years…” 

The girl looked down at the ground before muttering, “I guess I should just be honest.”

“I’m sure they’ll understand,” Asher encouraged.

She sighed, “I hope so.” 

Asher opened the door for her, the two heading inside as Leo and Luna glanced over at them. “As I was saying…” She said quietly, “It went horribly, actually.” 

Leo looked bewildered at her sudden change in demeanor, “Huh?”

“My mom is a psychological manipulator who likes to make my life hell so…” She started, “That’s what happened.”

Luna frowned as she got up to hug Opal, “You know you can talk to us anytime.”

Opal hugged her back, whispering a quiet, “Thank you.”

Opal could feel Asher’s presence lingering on in the kitchen, the fact he was so willing to help her was still baffling. Afterall, they’d barely spoken prior to this and when they did, they didn’t quite get along. She had this perception of the man built up in her head, a brash narcissist who seemed to only care about proving himself correct. He was still sort of a know-it-all, but her perception of him completely shattered.

But she wasn’t quite sure if she could consider him a friend yet. 


End file.
